


Its a Wonderful Life

by mythic_witch, peggyismywife



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, Multi, Stucky - Freeform, cHIRSTMAS GAY, hes not an asshole, its very gay, tony is a good person in this fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-02 18:27:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16792339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythic_witch/pseuds/mythic_witch, https://archiveofourown.org/users/peggyismywife/pseuds/peggyismywife
Summary: a variety of Stucky in christmas





	1. Stucky & Gifts

**Author's Note:**

> We're FINALLY POSTING THIS!! so the reason the fic jumps around a bit is because it was originally written paragraph by paragraph: basically a mystery story.

It was a week before Christmas, and Bucky had never been more nervous. Standing in the middle of the mall, surrounded by noises and people and way to many shops to choose from, it's all Bucky can do to stay calm. He has absolutely no idea what to get Steve for Christmas.

Meanwhile on the other side of town, Steve is racking his brain to figure out what to get Bucky for Christmas. He wanders around small brightly lighted shops, looking at their names as if one of them might say ‘Presents for 99 year old super soldier boyfriends!’ Steve sighs. He wanders around for a bit longer and sees a pretty store and goes inside. A tiny bell rings as Steve opens the door. ‘Hello!’ A cheerful lady says. ‘Can I help you find anything?’ Steve looks around the store.

Bucky had been hunting through stores for nearly two hours with no luck. He was sure Steve didn't need clothes (he was constantly hiding his shirts in the hopes Steve would just give up and walk around without them [though he would never admit it]); besides, he wanted something more meaningful than a pack of holiday-themed socks. He'd already found gifts for the other Avengers, but of course he had no idea what to get for his boyfriend. Typical. He resigned himself to a few more hours of hunting before heading home in the hopes something would catch his eye.

Steve looked around the store; if there was a perfect gift for Bucky, it was here. He started wandering through the store. There were vintage style things, records, mugs, books, basically everything Bucky liked. Steve let out a relieved sigh. He looked through the books, and felt a wave of nostalgia as he saw familiar names. ‘Steve?’ A voice said from behind.   
Steve turned,  
‘Pegs? What are you doing here?!’   
Peggy laughed, ‘same as you I assume. Of course we both go to a vintage store.’   
Steve chuckled. ‘Yeah I’m trying to find a gift for Bucky and i’m stumped.’   
Peggy grabbed Steves hand and started pulling him ‘follow me.’ 

Bucky was very nearly done, and still didn't have a gift or any idea of one. He was slowly overheating in the long sleeved shirt he wore to conceal his arm (you could never be too careful). He reached the opposite end of the mall he'd been shopping at, nearly discouraged and steadily getting more and more exhausted. His super soldier enhancements didn't seem to extend to shopping. Just as he was about to give up and go home, he saw a shop out of the corner of his eye. Perfect.

‘It’s perfect.’ Steve said, his eyes teared up.   
‘I know’ Peggy crossed her arms and beamed.   
They looked at the object on the counter. Peggy looked at Steve, and her eyes too started to well up. She grabbed him and pulled him into a hug.

Bucky returned home, exhausted and laden down with bags. Natasha ambushed him at the door, desperate for a look at what he'd bought, but her extreme assassin abilities were cancelled out by his super soldier serum and he saw her.   
‘Nope', he said, maneuvering around her.  
She sighed and settled down to wait for Steve to arrive.

They left the store arm in arm and walked down the road.  
‘Thank you so so much’ Steve looked at Peggy.   
‘Now I truly have the perfect gift’ And Steve smiled as he got in the car, and put the ring into his jacket pocket.”

Bucky was very nervous as he finished wrapping Steve's gift. An unknown advantage to having a bionic arm was the ability to nearly perfectly wrap a present, apparently. He sat back, admiring the neat bow he'd placed on top. He hoped Steve would love it as much as he did (the gift, not the bow).

Steve drove back home. Smiling giddily as he hummed along to the Christmas songs playing on the radio.   
He pulled into the driveway; Steve and Bucky have a small little 2 bedroom house close to the compound. The house looks picturesque nestled in pine trees and snow. Nat was staying for the holidays, She claimed she just wanted to get out of the compound because Vision had taken up the electric guitar. Steve grabbed the big gift bag from the back seat; filled with gifts for the rest of the team, and a shirt with Steve’s shield on it for Bucky (yes he had already gotten Bucky the ring, but Peggy insisted he needed this too). Steve opened the door and smelled cookies. ‘Im homeeeeeeeee!’ He called.

‘Shit!' Bucky thought, upon hearing the sound of his boyfriend's voice through the wall. He scrambled to hide the gift beneath the desk and went to greet Steve.  
'Hey! Where've you been all day?' Bucky asked, kissing Steve quickly before moving into the kitchen to find some plums.  
'Umm... just went out for a little while. Drove around. Got something to eat. Nothing much. You?'  
'Nothing much either. I was here.'  
'No you weren't, you went out a while ago!' Peter Parker entered the kitchen and tried to steal one of the plums Bucky held. Bucky held the fruit just out of Peter's reach.  
'Yeah, I went to get plums.'  
'You did? There were plums here before you left.'  
Bucky immediately looked suspicious. 'How did you know that...?'  
A fleeting look of guilt flickered across Peter's face.  
'Are you the one who's been STEALING MY PLUMS?'  
Peter ran for the door, Bucky hot on his heels.  
'Buck, come on, it's almost Christmas, don't murder the kid!' Steve called after them, before taking one of Bucky's plums and heading for the living room.

Steve was slightly shocked to see Peter in their house, but he figured Nat had picked him up just after Steve left and right before Bucky went shopping. And yes, of course Steve knows what Bucky was up to, they had known each other since they were 8. As Steve walked into the living room Bucky walked triumphantly past, waving the stolen plum in the air. Nat lounged on the couch on her phone, and Peter sat cross legged in front of the fire, also in his phone. 'Damn kids on their devices these days.' Steve said, half joking half serious. Nat promptly flipped him off without looking up.  
'Ah shit!' Bucky yelled from the other room. 'Language!' Steve called back, laughing.

That night, Bucky made sure the gifts were well hidden where Steve wouldn't find them (the same spot he'd hidden Steve's shirts), got the guest bedroom setup for Natasha, got blankets for Peter (who decided he'd rather spend the night on their couch rather than at the compound), hid the plums with the gifts, and headed to bed. Steve was already curled up under the blankets; Bucky was pleased to see he hadn't found the last shirt Bucky had stolen. He climbed into bed, wrapping an arm around Steve's torso. 'Merry almost- Christmas.'  
'Tomorrow's going to be one hell of a day' Steve whispered back. Indeed it was, because tomorrow was Tony Stark's legendary holiday party.

The End (for nowwwww)


	2. Christmas party

‘Come on we’re leaving!’ Steve yelled from the doorway. 

It was 10 days till Christmas and tonight was Tony Stark’s annual Christmas party. The party was normally huge, but with the whole secret compound that wasn’t an option. This year it was just the team and a plus 1.  
Peter shot past Steve into the car, santa hat falling off his head in the process. May was on a Christmas cruise in the bahamas, so Peter was bouncing back and forth between the compound and Steve and Bucky’s. Natasha waltzed past Steve and stepped on Peter’s hat on the way into the car.

Bucky was still inside, searching for his cufflinks. He'd made the bold decision to wear a dinner jacket to the party tonight, something he hadn't done since that one time Thor told Bucky he wouldn't be able to beat Thor at arm wrestling. His metal arm had been slightly crushed by the demigod's strength and had gone haywire, landing him in Tony's lab for repairs. He wanted to be a little dressy tonight in the hopes Steve would like it.

'C’mon, buck, what's taking so long?' Steve called from the doorway.

'I have to find my cufflinks!'

Steve sighed. 'You do realize everyone is going to get hammered and you'll lose them anyway, right?' 

Bucky paused for a moment, considering, before spotting the missing links under the dresser. He suspected Steve didn't want him to wear them because they were mini versions of Cap's shield. He snatched them up and started for the door. 

'Found them! Let's go!'   
Steve rolled his eyes and followed his boyfriend to the car.

Steve picked up Peter's hat and got in the car. 

'Is everyone buckled?'

Steve asked, looking into his rear view mirror.

'Yeeeessss' Peter and Nat singsonged from the back seat. 

The ride was quick; the compound was only a 15 minute drive from their house.They arrived at the compound at half past 4. In the front foyer there was a 20ft Christmas tree, it was decorated so perfectly it was scary.   
‘Hello!’ Vision flew over to them. ‘Do you like my Christmas tree?’ 

‘Ohh you decorated it,’ the perfectness starting to make sense. ‘Yes! it’s perfect.’ Steve replied.   
Next Tony and Pepper came in.

‘Well well well, look who finally decided to show up! Colonel patriot, the winter boyfriend, spider-kid, and Natasha!’   
Tony greeted everyone with nicknames (except for Natasha, because he wasn’t stupid) and an evil grin.   
‘Welcome, welcome. Merry almost-Christmas! What took you so long?’

‘Oh, Bucky couldn’t find his cufflinks,’ Steve said as he gave pepper a hug, ‘and apparently he couldn’t leave without them.’

Pepper rolled her eyes and ruffled Peter’s hair. ‘Hey kid, do you want to help me out with dessert? Your Aunt May tells me you make fantastic sugar cookies.’ Peter blushed a little at the compliment, but nodded and followed Pepper out of the room. Natasha excused herself to go grab some things from her room, leaving Tony, Vision, Steve, and Bucky next to the tree.

‘That’s quite the tree you’ve got there, Vis.’

Steve said, craning his head up to see the small tree topper. At first he thought it was a star of some sort, but upon closer examination, he saw that it was actually a mini Avengers symbol. ‘I like the topper.’

‘Thank you, Steve. It took me a while to decorate. Wanda had to assist me.’

Tony smirked a little at the mention of Wanda, but before he could make a comment, Steve cut in, ever the peacemaker.‘So who else is coming?’

‘Well, you guys are already here, Thor, Loki, and their crazy lady warrior friend are coming from Asgard soon, Clint is stopping by with the family, and no one’s seen the twins for a few hours. I’m sure they’ll turn up though.’  
Steve took a deep breath; this was going to be an interesting night.

A gust of cold air let in behind them as the door opened. Steve felt someone lean over his shoulder   
‘On your right bitch’ Sam whispered. 

Steve busted out laughing. ‘Hey man!’ Steve pulled him in for a hug. 

Sam finished his greetings and went to the kitchen. There was a silence in which Tony looked back and forth between Bucky and Steve, back and forth, back and forth. 

‘I can’t believe Howard had a kid can you?’ Bucky put on a devilish grin and looked at Steve.   
Tony let out a frustrated grumble and walked out.   
Steve laughed ‘No Buck I can’t.’ He said this loud enough so that Tony could hear him from the other room.   
Wanda had finally showed up and was having an intense staring contest with Vision; they were completely oblivious to everything, even the ‘get a room’ Bucky so kindly attributed to the conversation. Steve wrapped his arm around Bucky’s waist and they walked into the other room.  
The kitchen was somewhat a mess, Peter somehow got flour all over his head in the last 5 minutes, Sam kept reaching over and eating pieces of dough. To Steve’s surprise tonight was looking more like it would be more of a Christmas dinner party than a typical Tony party. When suddenly a flash of light announced the arrival of their godly friends.

From the living room came a loud crash, followed by a series of loud yells and what sounded like thousands of bells smashing on the ground. The chorus was completed by a second loud crash, this one accompanied by the floor shaking like a minor earthquake was happening.  
Throwing a glance at Bucky, Steve took off down the hall, boyfriend beside him and team following. They were greeted by a horrendous sight upon entering the room.   
By their feet, the smashed forms of several ornaments lay as though they’d been thrown a distance and smashed, small chips sliding across the hardwood floor. The tree lay, toppled, in the center of the space, glittering bits of ornaments dusting its needles. Valkyrie swayed slightly at the base of the fallen monolith of a tree, looking confused. Dr. Bruce Banner was lying near her, clutching his head, ornament shards glistening in his graying curls. Thor sat near the top of the tree, clutching the Avengers topper, which he’d somehow managed to save. His face brightened when he saw them. 

‘MY FRIENDS. WE HAVE ARRIVED. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DESTRUCTION I APPEAR TO HAVE CAUSED. IF YOU DON’T MIND MY ASKING, BROTHER TONY, WHY DO YOU HAVE A TREE INDOORS?’

‘It’s a tradition...’ Pepper explained, wide eyes scanning the scene.  
Then, three things happened.  
One, a voice echoed from above them.   
‘I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but would someone GET ME DOWN.’   
Steve looked up. Loki was hanging on to the light fixture high above them.   
Two, the trickster slipped and fell, landing on Bruce with a disgruntled OOMPH.   
Finally, Vision, roused from his staring contest with the woman standing behind him, floated into the room.  
‘WHAT HAPPENED TO MY TREE?’ He cried.  
‘I APOLOGIZE, BROTHER VISION. IT APPEARS WE LANDED ON IT WHEN WE ARRIVED.’  
Vision just floated and looked wide-eyed at his fallen child.   
‘Don’t worry I thought this would happen.’ Tony said as he pressed a button and Wanda came in magically carrying another 20ft tree. 

In another 5 minutes all the debris was cleared from the foyer and the new, although naked, tree stood before everyone. ‘Oooooh! Now we can all help decorate it!’ Peter yelled, looking very excited.   
This did not help Vision cope with his loss. 

‘If that is the wish of everyone I will leave.’ And he started floating away.

‘You can put the Avengers star on the top!’ Wanda offered; this got Vision back in the spirit. Wanda and Vision started decorating with the help of a few of the other avengers. Bucky proudly put on the little Cap shield ornament, and Steve added the 1940’s car ornament. Valkyrie introduced herself and instantly hit it off with Nat. And soon it was time for dinner.

‘Ok, everyone, I put name tags at your place so we don’t get confused.’ Pepper had ushered everyone into the dining room after the arrival of Clint and his family. Steve oversees the table. He was fairly certain Pepper hadn’t written those name tags.  
At the head of the table was “Throne of the king”, as labeled by the paper on the plate. The seats then went as follows-  
Salt (Pepper)  
Hawkguy and co (Hawkeye, Laura, and the kids)  
Pint-sized Avenger (Peter)  
Oversized avenger (Thor)(Although he initially thought the ‘throne of the king’ was his)  
Uninvited (Loki)  
New girl (Valkyrie)  
Shield boy (Steve)  
The Winter Boyfriend (Bucky)  
That other bird guy (Sam)  
Discount JARVIS (Vision)  
Speedy Gonzales (Pietro)  
Glinda the Good Witch (Wanda)  
Mean, Green Mystery Machine (Bruce)  
Mama Spider (Natasha)  
The name tags were met with mixed reviews. Thankfully, everyone’s hunger was more important than their anger at some of Tony’s creative nicknames. They all sat down for dinner.

Dinner was the definition of ‘merry’. Thor of course brought his handy flask. Steve and Bucky enjoyed the vegan christmas meal that Steve made for Bucky. Thor and Val ate like vikings would, with full turkey legs in hand.   
Dinner soon came to a close and everyone relaxed on the couch in front of the tree and the roaring fire. Vision and Wanda floated above everyone and relaxed. Val was so drunk she started making out with Nat, who since she was also hammered didn’t stop her. Steve pulled Bucky into a doorway and kissed him under the mistletoe.  
Peter slunk over to them and asked to go home, they agreed.

After saying goodbyes and prying Nat away from Val, they piled into the car and drove home. Nat immediately passed out on the couch, and Peter went into the guest room. Steve and Bucky did their nightly routine; they brushed their teeth and got pajamas on, and lay in bed. Steve turned to Bucky 

‘Merry almost Christmas’ He whispered. 

‘Merry almost Christmas.’ Bucky echoed, he turned out the lights and they went to sleep.


	3. Steve & Mittens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all thirsty descriptions of steve are thanks to @mythic_witch

The snow flakes drifted past the window panes of a small house nestled in the New York countryside. It was the winter solstice, and already the light was dwindling in the west. Within the house, two men were getting ready to venture into the woods to find a Christmas tree.  
“Bucky! I can’t find my mittens! Have you seen them?” Steve was frantically digging through the bin of odds and ends they kept in their living room. His hands were naturally cold all the time (side effects) and he knew he wouldn’t last five minutes without his wooly mittens.  
“I don’t know where your fucking mittens are, Steve, but we have to go, it’s gonna get dark soon!”  
“LANGUAGE” Steve yelled back.  
“Oh yeah, like you’ve never sworn in your life.” Bucky sassed as he zipped up his coat. Steve frantically rifled through his belongings; not in the closet, not in the foyer. “Steeeeeeeveeeeeeeeeeeee!” called the impatient brunette, “You’ll be fine! Use your pockets!” Steve was now very distressed, “YOU KNOW WHAT GIVE ME A FUCKING SECOND SO I CAN ACTUALLY FIND MY SHIT!”  
“Theeere he is.” Bucky called back, not at all fazed by Steve’s sudden outburst, “Hey how about you check over here.” Bucky gestured to the doorway into the kitchen. Steve sighed and went over to the doorway. “They’re not here Buck.”  
“What if you look up?” Steve looked up at Bucky’s request. Lo and behold, there were Steve’s mittens...right next to a sprig of mistletoe...”  
Bucky’s clever plan was finally coming to fruition. He had planted the gloves there earlier... (actually he hadn’t. He had no idea how they’d gotten there, but he wasn’t complaining). He smirked at Steve, that smile he reserved for making Steve either crazy or very annoyed. “Mistletoe. You gonna kiss me, cap?”  
“How the everloving fuck did they get up there?” Steve cried.   
“Oh, just shut up and kiss me. You can get them later” Bucky swooped in, wrapped his arms around Steve’s (very muscular) torso, and kissed him. Several minutes passed before they broke apart.  
Steve of course ruined the moment with “No but seriously, how the hell did they get up there?” Bucky laughed and shook his head, “I have actually no idea.” They were both silent, but within about 4 seconds their eyes met and they came to the obvious conclusion: “Must have been Nat.” Bucky exhaled, “Ok then, how about you grab your mittens and let’s skedaddle!” Steve yanked his mittens down and put them on.  
Several hours later, Steve was freezing his ass off (he wasn’t sure if it was figuratively or literally, as he couldn’t feel most of his body anymore) and was fully prepared to turn around and start the uncomfortably long trek home.  
“How much longer is it going to take you to find a tree? I’ve already seen at least six that would’ve been just fine.” Steve asked, teeth chattering.  
“I don’t want just fine, I want perfect. This Christmas is going to be perfect. It has to be.” Bucky was determined to make this the best goddamn Christmas either of them had ever had. That is, until next one, when (hopefully) they’d be celebrating their anniversary with small rings on their fingers. Assuming Steve said yes.  
“Why does the tree have to be perfect? I have everything I need already.” Bucky smiled, stopping to turn around and wrap his arms around Steve’s shivering body.  
“Dear God, man, you’re freezing!”  
“AND YOU’RE NOT?”  
Surprisingly, he wasn’t cold at all. The serum had done some weird shit to his body, which should’ve also been done to Steve’s. He suspected it was the years spent in the ice that made Steve particularly averse to the cold.  
Just then, over Steve’s broad shoulder, he spotted it. The perfect tree.  
“There!” he cried. “There it is!”  
Pulling the saw out of the straps securing it to his back, he trudged through the fine white powder to kneel next to the trunk. It was a tall, mighty tree, the very top of it extending to well over Steve’s head. The branches were full, and prickled slightly as they brushed against his face. Perfect.  
“Stevie, hold on to the tree so it doesn’t fall on me.”  
Despite being freezing cold, Steve would rather jump into an icy lake than let anything happen to Bucky, even if it was something as simple as stopping a tree from falling on him. He’d survived worse, but it was the thought that counts.  
Steve braced himself against the tree while Bucky sawed at the trunk.  
“You do realize we probably won’t be able to carry this back by ourselves, right?”  
“We’re super soldiers, Steve.”  
“I know, I’m just cold and really would rather call Tony for a ride.”  
“Not Tony, he’ll never let us hear the end of it HOLD ON!” Bucky cried as the tree started to fall. Steve, still braced against it, caught it.  
“So call Nat. She can bring the quinjet out here and fly us home.”  
“Ok, fine.” Bucky sighed, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone.  
“You love me,” Steve said, grinning a little as he stood next to the oversized tree.  
“I do indeed,” Bucky replied as he dialed.  
“Hey, Nat, would you do us a favor? We found our tree, but we’re in the middle of the woods and Steve is being stubborn about walking back… Yeah, just steal the keys, Tony probably won’t notice… yes, we have food at home, you can even help us decorate the tree… ok, thanks Nat, you’re a lifesaver… see you soon, bye.” Turning to Steve, he said, “so Nat’s on her way, but she’s spending the night at our house.”  
“Oh, what a shame.”  
“Why?”  
“We’ll have to be really quiet then…”  
“Steve! I’m supposed to be the dirty one!”  
“Just trying it out. Doesn’t suit me, does it? I felt really weird saying it.”  
“I don’t know, it was kind of hot. Wow, you’re right, that’s weird.”  
A few minutes later, the quinjet arrived, and Nat helped them load the tree into the plane.  
Upon arriving at home, they lugged the tree through the front door and over to the stand they’d prepared before heading out. Natasha went to find the boxes of ornaments they stored in the small storage unit off the garage while Steve got the kettle started for hot chocolate and brought out the fixings for dinner. Steve would never admit it, but he was really enjoying being domestic.  
After dinner, the three of them prepared to start setting up the tree. Steaming mugs of hot chocolate sat on the coffee table in the living room and boxes of ornaments lay scattered around the room, already partially unpacked.  
“Hold on, guys. Peter and the twins want to join us. They’re bored.” Natasha said, looking up from her phone screen. “That cool with you? Pietro says he can just run them here.”  
“Yeah, sure, tell them to come right over.” Bucky said.  
Barely seconds after Natasha sent the text, a very disgruntled Peter and slightly windblown Wanda, covered in snow, were deposited inside the living room. Pietro came to a halt near the tree, surveying it.  
“Not bad, gramps.” He said to Steve. “A little tall, yes? Where does the... what is it called, звезда? Star, yes?” He looked to Wanda for confirmation, who nodded. “Yes, star, go? The top is brushing the ceiling!” The speedster was, unfortunately, right- there wouldn’t be much space left at the top for the star.  
“We’ll figure something out,” Nat said with a smile, smoothing down Peter’s rumpled hair. Mama Spider was out in full force.  
The next few hours were spent drinking hot chocolate, hanging and re-arranging ornaments, laughter, and dancing to old music playing in the background. Once the star was (precariously) perched on top of the tree, in such a way it would fall if Pietro ran fast enough past it, everyone finally settled down. Peter was fast asleep on the couch, mouth hanging open slightly. At some point, Wanda had floated a marker over to his face and drawn a mustache over his upper lip. Pietro was running laps outside, trying to tire himself out so he wouldn’t be up all night. Wanda had already retreated into the guest room, stating that Natasha was welcome to join her but Pietro could go ahead and sleep out here on one of the couches. She seemed very adamant about this fact, something that made Nat blush a little. It slipped the notice of everyone save Steve, who made a mental note to talk to Nat about that later.  
Pietro finally came inside and, finally exhausted, collapsed on the second couch and was out in seconds. Natasha shot Steve and Bucky a small smile before quietly slipping through the guest room door to join Wanda. Finally, they were alone (mostly).  
Standing next to the tree, Bucky offered Steve his hand with a cocky smile. The music was still playing from their antique radio, found by Steve at a flea market a few weeks after they’d moved into the house. Steve accepted, allowing Bucky to pull him close and sway slightly to the music. They danced together, next to their sparkling Christmas tree covered in ornaments that commemorated every memory they had together and stood as a testament to how much they both loved Christmas, surrounded by friends. Steve couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so happy and relaxed. He said as much to Bucky, who gave him a mischievous smile.  
“Well, I know a way to make this night even better.”  
“I know that smile, Buck. Whatever you’re planning on doing, it better not involve fire or…”  
“Just shut up and kiss me.”  
Needless to say, they stopped dancing in the living room after that.  
Afterwards, they lay together in their bed, goofy smiles adorning their faces, wondering how they’d been so lucky to find each other. There was no doubt in Steve’s mind that this was easily the best Christmas he’d ever had. He had no idea how much better it was going to get, thanks to the man lying beside him. He sighed, tucking himself closer to Bucky’s warm body. Bucky circled his flesh arm around Steve and smiled in his sleep, content. The craziness of Christmas with the Avengers would start soon, but for now, they were happy together in their little house, Christmas lights sparkling over the snow outside. FIN


	4. Steve & Santa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is absolute chaos, when we wrote this we were dying laughing and probably high from scented candle fumes. But its also really sweet. 
> 
> Christmas morning comes to Steve and Bucky.

Twas the morning of Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a m- *sigh* nevermind Peter’s up. Steve and Bucky were fast asleep, Bucky spread eagle and Steve splayed on top of him. Natasha and Wanda were cuddled up in bed, Wanda’s head resting on Nat’s  ~~ titties ~~ chest. In the living room, next to the dwindled fire, Pietro was half on/half off the couch, snoring. Peter, who was lying practically under the christmas tree, suddenly bolted upright. The morning would soon be peaceful no more.

Pietro was the next to wake up, due to Peter’s ceiling pushups. “Hee hee,” Peter laughed “Nice hair.” Pietro had a horrible case of bedhead.

“I do not understand… how heroes… somehow always… have perfect…  чертов

… hair no matter the situation!” Pietro groused after the third time his comb got stuck in the unruly waves of his weirdly silver hair. Peter was too busy pulling himself up to the ceiling to the tune of his counting to make a comment. Pietro found it very funny that the tiny hero felt the need to constantly do workouts in order to keep himself in shape; all Pietro had to do was run in circles for a few minutes and let his enhanced metabolism do the rest. Wanda had always hated him for this, as she hadn’t received the same trait and therefore had to work out the normal way while her brother ran circles around her.

Speak of the devil, Wanda emerged from the guest room, hair ruffled, but in the I-just-had-an-EXCELLENT-night’s-sleep way, not the I-don’t-actually-sleep way, or it was in the Hee-hee-i-got-banged-last-night-way. No one was sure. Natasha was the next to emerge with a big fucking smile on her face, dirty son of a bitch. One look at them made Pietro gag and start screaming.

“OH MY GOD, THAT’S WHAT YOU GUYS WERE DOING IN THERE? I THOUGHT YOU WERE SPARRING.”

“It’s a bedroom dumbass.” Natasha casually replied, going over and kissing Wanda on the cheek.

Pietro raced off into the kitchen, muttering something no one cared to repeat as he went in search of the caffeinated beverages he was sure Steve had hidden the night before. And this is when Steve and Bucky woke up. Both equipped with enhanced hearing, Pietro’s screaming had jolted them both violently awake, which was tough for Bucky due to Steve’s on-top-ness He accidentally launched Steve off the bed in his haste to find out why THE FUCK SOMEONE WAS SCREAMING SO EARLY IN THE MORNING. It was 8:30 am.

Fifteen minutes later, the house was the absolute sight of domesticity… well, not for long. Steve and Bucky were in the kitchen, Steve by the stove making french toast and Bucky trying his hardest to distract him with light kisses because Bucky is a little attention whore in the morning. Peter had concluded his morning pushups and was now bouncing around the tree, discreetly trying to ignore the obvious fact that everyone except Pietro  CENSORED last night, while simultaneously trying to figure out what his gifts are.

Nat and Wanda entered the kitchen, Nat’s arm wrapped around Wanda’s waist. Bucky took one look and them and started chuckling, Steve turned around to see what the fuss was about, but since he is too pure for this world, did not get it. Pietro, who had downed about 16 ounces of soda, was speeding wide-eyed around the house.

Wanda had learned early on that Pietro’s reaction to caffeine was very similar to anyone else’s reaction to LSD, which prompted her to stop buying any and warning everyone who extended their hospitality to hide their own. Peter then came in crawling on the ceiling, with a santa hat completely covering his face and the theme from Psycho playing on his pocketed phone.

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS HAPPENING!?” Nat screamed. At this sudden sound Steve jumped, in turn scaring Bucky, who stubbed his toe on the table.

Yes, it was a shit show.

“Hey guys, someone go take a shower so I can take this knife and…” Peter shouted.

“NO. NO STABBING WILL BE OCCURRING IN THIS HOUSE.” Steve cried. “ _ I _ will stab someone.”

“But didn’t you just…”

“Go keep trying to sneakily find out what your presents are, kid.” Steve said, turning back to his (now slightly toasted, and by toasted we mean burnt) french toast. Peter crawled backwards across the ceiling and back into the living room. Steve couldn’t see his face, as Peter hadn’t removed the Santa hat, but he was sure Peter looked sullen and slightly terrified. Poor kid.

Natasha was totally groping Wanda in the corner. Everyone else was awkwardly trying to avoid looking at them, Steve had taken to shockingly staring at them before he realised that that was gross.

Bucky had taken an intense interest in Steve’s neck, while Pietro was long gone, outside trying to work off the effects of the caffeine.

TIME FLASHHHHHHHH

Now everyone was sitting calmly in the living room, except Pietro, who was passed out on the floor.

“CAN WE OPEN THINGS NOW?!” Peter was done waiting.

As if on queue, that’s when the doorbell rang. “COMING!” Steve yelled. They all craned their necks to see who was at the door. Steve turned the knob and standing on the doorstep was Peggy. “Hello!” She chimed.

“Hey Pegs! I thought you might stop by.” Steve opened the door wider so she could come in. 

“Yes I thought I would for a bit, since Angie had to put Rosie (their daughter) down for a bit after opening presents.” Peggy took off her coat and scarf and followed Steve into the living room. “Hi Peggy!” Everyone said in unison.

“Sorry to intrude! Please continue.”

Of course this was Peter’s opportunity to pounce on a present and rip it open. Inside was a smooth white box with the Apple logo on the front. “AWESOME!” Peter opened the box and took out the laptop, feeling it. The gift opening continued: a new pair of (very durable and fire-proof) sneakers for Pietro, a pair of red leather gloves for Wanda (from Nat, to ‘complement the outfit’), and a new frying pan for Steve (Bucky had broken the last one after he died for the sixth time playing video games). Bucky opened with glee the Captain America t-shirt that Steve “had to” buy. Just after Bucky tried on his new shirt (it was a little tight, but Steve wasn’t about to admit that he knew Bucky’s shirt size perfectly and decided to go a size or two down...), the doorbell rang for the second time that morning. Peggy squealed and ran for the door, practically ripping it off its hinges to open it. On the step stood Angie holding little Rosie. Steve rushed over from the other room.

“Hi! How are you?” Angie asked as she gave Steve a hug, and handed the fussing baby to him.

“Fantastic now!” Steve cooed to Rosie. Peggy wrapped her arm around Angie and they all went into the other room.

After all the greetings and they were all sat down, Steve stood up and asked Bucky to follow him outside; which confused Bucky because he was just about to ask Steve the same thing.

They both walked out into the snow, arm in arm into the forest. The snow shimmered as the light came through gaps in the pine boughs. They didn’t notice Peggy and Nat sneaking their way through the woods behind them, which was really concerning because they’re super soldiers and therefore should probably be more aware of their surroundings.

Soon they arrived at what the two of them always called their favorite place, and for good reason.

Before them was an icy stream that came from a frozen waterfall, winterberry bushes lined the water and branches from above were encased in ice, giving the place a fairytale elegance. From behind, hidden behind a large tree, Peggy and Nat eagerly watched the unfolding scene.

“Steve…” Bucky started, getting down on one knee. “In 1927 I met a scrawny little guy who was block-headed enough to never run away from a fight…” Bucky reached into his coat pocket and brought out a tiny box.

“Bucky,” Now Steve got down on one knee, trying not to burst out laughing from the look on Bucky’s face. “In 1927  _ I  _ met a brave fearless asshole who felt it was his duty to save my ass whenever I got into a fight…” Now Steve also took out a small box and opened it, revealing the ring.

Bucky continued his speech: “And as time went on I knew, despite the world telling me it was wrong, that I loved the skinny little bastard and I wanted to spend my life with him.” Now both men were crying. Nat had taken out her phone and was recording the whole thing to show the four left behind at the house. Steve sniffled:

“And I fell for him, my knight in shining armor… Bucky-”

“Steve-”

And in unison the spoke: “Will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?”

At this point Peggy made an audible sob and gave their hiding spot away. They emerged and Steve and Bucky laughed through the tears. The answer was obviously yes, and they tearily put rings on one another’s fingers. They kissed, Nat and Peggy ran over and they all had a long teary hug.

-

Wanda opened the door as the crew re-entered the house. Pietro was still fast asleep on the floor and Wanda held the baby as Angie tended to the fire. When they came in Angie squealed and dropped the fire poker, ran over to the couple and smothered them in a hug.

Peggy and Nat started laughing as they retold the story. After all, this whole scheme was their idea.

Peggy then explained how Nat and her both had the idea of a proposal and then followed them on their shopping trips: Nat with Bucky and Pegs with Steve. They told how they “accidentally” both led the guys to get engagement rings, then later when they excitedly told each other the news, realised their mistake.

Several hours later, after many congratulations and possibly one to many glasses of champagne, Steve and Bucky reclined on the couch, heads rested on each other. To Natasha’s dismay, Wanda and Pietro went back to the compound, leaving her sulking in the corner. Angie sat in front of the fire next to Peggy, who was cradling a now sleeping Rosie.

A little later, the newly engaged couple were saying goodbyes to their guests, letting them out to the starlit night.

As he closed the door, Steve turned to Bucky with tears in his eyes, he had never been more happy.


End file.
